Vatican Issues Manual on Pastoral Ministry to Drug Users

Counseling Victims of Drug Dependency

The product of a two-year study, it was published in Italian, French, English, and Spanish.

Pope John Paul II had commissioned the manual from the Pontifical Council in 1997, saying that some such resource must be prepared to ease the “anguish” of bishops and priests who must counsel the victims of drug dependency. The manual is addressed to these pastors, and also to parents, educators, and political leaders who are called to join in the struggle against drug abuse.

The Problem of Drug Abuse

Archbishop Barragan remarked to reporters that Pope John Paul has made at least 80 statements on the problem of drug abuse since the beginning of his pontificate. He said that the Vatican manual follows the Pope's analysis in dividing the issue into three related questions: the treatment of drug addicts, the education that will discourage drug use, and the prevention of drug trafficking. However, the manual confines itself to the first two of these three questions, explaining that the suppression of drug traffic is a function of government.

The Vatican document does make a few pointed comments on legal issues surrounding drug abuse, however. The manual emphasizes that the Church will never cease to oppose the legalization of recreational drug use. And the Pontifical Council insists that political leaders have a grave responsibility to curb trade in illegal drugs.

Hope in Facing the Future

To discourage young people from experimenting with drugs, the Vatican manual says that society must develop a positive vision, to counteract the trends toward alienation and marginalization. Young people are most tempted to indulge in drug use, the manual says, when they are “without hope in facing the future.” Young people must be encouraged and trained in self-discipline as well, the document continues.

Archbishop Barragan told reporters that the new manual “does not pretend to offer a definitive response,” and acknowledged that there are many different approaches to the treatment of drug addiction. He stressed that the manual is not offering a new approach, but encouraging pastors to take advantage of existing programs.


(This article courtesy of Catholic World News. To subscribe or for further information, contact subs@cwnews.com or visit www.cwnews.com.)

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